Hauling machines are utilized in various industries to transport a payload from one location to another. In order to operate such machines efficiently, it is desirable to carry an optimally sized payload. Loading a machine to less than full capacity may result excess costs associated with unnecessary runs and the acceleration of maintenance schedules. Overloading a machine may result in increased wear and costly maintenance.
Numerous methods have been proposed for determining the mass of payloads in hauling machines. While physically weighing a machine on a scale and then deducting the weight of the machine itself may be a reliable method of measuring a payload, such an arrangement is not practical in large machines. Moreover, physically weighing a machine is generally not possible in the field.
Various methods have been proposed for the operation of hauling machines and monitoring payloads during use. For example, U.S. Publication 2012/0274121 to Minoshima, et al., discloses a load transporting vehicle with a pivoted vessel that may be raised obliquely backward with respect to the vehicle body by a hoist cylinder. A pressure sensor is provided on the rear suspension to detect an inner pressure of the rear suspension. The pressure will vary depending upon whether the vessel if loaded or empty as it returns from a pivoted to an unpivoted position. The sensor detects whether the burden is changed based upon the pressure. A controller calculates the weight from the pressure and compares it to a known weight value for an empty vessel to determine whether the vessel is empty or loaded. The arrangement of the Minoshima reference, however, does not appear to be applicable to hauling machines including an ejector bed.